Listen
by Arwen4eva
Summary: Emma is struggling after she ends her engagement with her True Love, Killian. In an attempt to make sense of her emotions, she goes to visit Archie; the person she knows will listen without interruption and perhaps offer her fresh advice. Can he help her or can she only help herself - and Killian in the process? I DO NOT OWN ONCE UPON A TIME!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello, hello! I literally woke up this morning with the idea for this fic in my head and after planning and writing, here we are!**

 **Because I have liked more of Archie in this season, I liked the idea I had of Emma going to him after giving the ring back. This is slightly inspired by the second sneak peek as well with Regina's line, " _You have to stop holding everything in_." as I love how much Emma has progressed and grown over the seasons!**

 **Reviews as always are greatly appreciated and I apologise to any potential typos there may be! If there is enough interest, I will write another chapter for this - I have a few ideas!**

 **Enjoy the episode tomorrow!**

 **Keep Smiling!**

Emma walks into his office, shutting the door quietly behind her. She believed this would be a good idea, had called up and managed to get a cancelled appointment, but now she is in the room, Emma isn't so sure anymore.

"Emma!" Archie exclaims in pleasant surprise. Emma walks over to the window, hands shoved deep in the pockets of her checked coat. "I wasn't aware that we scheduled a session. I thought that things were going well for you since our last talk."

Emma remains silent for a moment. She tries to find the strength to talk about everything, to just blurt it all out, but the past two nights have been filled with laying on the couch, staring at the ceiling and being unable to sleep. Now, she just feels emotional.

 _'No, Emma Swan. No more crying.'_ she tells herself firmly.

She turns around from the window, arms crossing tightly over her chest. Tears suddenly come to her eyes and she inwardly curses herself. A lump forms in her throat, preventing her from speaking.

"Emma," Archie's voice is slightly hesitant, not wanting to push her too much. "is this about Killian?"

Emma nods after a second and moves to the couch. She sits down on the end closest to the door, angled towards Archie so her back is against the armrest. She draws her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around the limbs; hands playing with each other. Archie sits down in his chair, leaning forwards to show that he will listen.

She tries to say something, anything, but struggles to form the words. Archie notices this, and the way that her thumb is absentmindedly rubbing her ring finger on her left hand.

"The beginning is always a very good place to start." Archie offers, hoping it helps Emma.

There is another moment of silence.

"Killian proposed." Emma says, eyes fixed on her legs. "I found the ring in his sea chest when I was going to put the rest of his clothes in his drawers since he didn't get round to it. For once, I didn't want to run. I was excited to take that next step, excited to allow the dream of never being alone to become a reality. He proposed in our home, the place where we would build our future."

Emma trails off.

"Something happened, didn't it." Archie says, listening intently.

"I came downstairs the morning after and saw him in front of the fireplace. He had a dreamcatcher showing a memory of him killing David's father."

"Were you angry that he kept that secret from you?" Archie questions.

"I know the man in that memory isn't him anymore. I was angry that he was going to burn the memory and not trust me after everything we have been through. I was angry that he didn't let me help him, support him like we should be doing. I was angry that he didn't let me in when he felt so scared and unsure." Emma says.

She raises her hand to run through her slightly tangled hair. Archie gives her the moment she needs, sitting silently and processing what she has told him.

"I gave the ring back to him." she says quietly. "I told him that when he was ready we could talk. I couldn't bear looking at him when I did, so I went upstairs. I heard him leave not long after that."

"What happened later on?" Archie asks.

"I went out and played Saviour. When I went home that night, it was empty. He wasn't there."

"How did that make you feel?"

Emma takes a deep breath in. "I wanted him to be there. I wanted to... hope that it wouldn't be the end of us." She shifts slightly. "I went upstairs and his jacket and flask were sitting on the bed."

Archie waits patiently as Emma trails off again, impressed by how much Emma has revealed. Emma swallows thickly.

"I waited hours for him to come back, but he didn't. He still hasn't. He left without a word."

"Have you tried reaching out to him?"

Emma adjusts her position again. She hugs her legs closer to her chest, seeking comfort.

"I've left text and called him but he hasn't answered to anything. It's like he doesn't want anything to do with me anymore. I should have seen this coming really. This is just what happens to me."

Archie shifts in his chair slightly. "You know, Emma, Killian came to see me. He was so panicked that he was not the type of man that _you_ wanted him to be; or the man that you deserve. He was very clearly wracked by guilt, unsure of what to do when I found him in Granny's with a bottle of rum.

"Perhaps," he continues. "after you gave the ring back and had this fight - which is a healthy thing to do in a relationship - he has gone so he can find the man he wants to be inside himself; the man he truly believes that you deserve in your life."

Emma quickly wipes away the tears on her cheeks. Archie smiles sympathetically at her.

"Killian Jones is not everyone else, Emma. He has changed from the man hell bent on revenge to the man who is clearly besotted with you." Archie says softly. "Do you still love him?"

Emma buries her head in her hands for a moment before nodding.

"Do you still want to marry him?"

Emma looks down at her hands, fingers smoothing over her bare left ring finger. She already misses the weight of the ring.

She nods again, not quite trusting her voice.

Archie stands and moves so he is also sitting on the couch. Emma finally looks up at him.

"You can come back from this, Emma. You both can. I am quite positive that Killian knows that but is giving you time in case you were not ready."

Emma sighs. "I don't want him gone."

"Have you told him this - in the messages you have sent?"

"I haven't, no." Emma says, resting her forehead against her knees for a minute. "Killian told me that you encouraged him to share his feelings."

Archie nods. "I did, yes."

"I tried." Emma says, sniffing once. "I opened up to the chance of a happy future at last and it still didn't work out for me. It will _never_ work out for me - _Saviours don't get happy endings_."

"Emma, you can still be happy. Killian will come back. Your relationship has never been the smoothest - but no relationship ever has been. A bump in the road is no reason to stop driving."

Emma shakes her head. "He has had two days to come back to me, to _contact_ me. He cannot leave Storybrooke so it isn't like he can leave and go anywhere else, but he hasn't come back."

"Emma-"

"He promised me that he would not let me down but look at what has happened." Emma says, wiping away her tears in frustration. "I have to move on."

"Even if it means that all of your walls go back up full force?" Archie questions, not unkindly. "I don't think you really want that, Emma."

You know what...

Emma isn't so sure either.

 **End note: Please review! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello! Here is a second chapter for this series as I had a lot of requests to continue it. Since this one was longer than the other, I have split it so you will be getting 3 chapters instead of just 2 for this story! Chapter 3 will be posted in the next few days!**

 **Thank you for your reviews and to those who pressed the follow/favourite button!**

 **Keep Smiling!**

It has been over a week now since he disappeared, no trace of his current whereabouts present anywhere. Emma has tried everything to distract herself from the pain in her heart. She has been barely sleeping since the day of their fight, the day she gave back the ring and broke off their engagement, nightmares of Killian abandoning her in violent and vicious ways haunting her. She has been fuelling herself on coffee and energy drinks to keep her minutely functioning body going, barely stopping to eat more than a mouthful or two of food.

Everyone close to her has become extremely concerned for her wellbeing; seeing her slowly decline. She refuses to discuss Killian or her feelings, choosing to brush everyone off instead. When Snow had woken up the previous morning, she spoke with a worried Henry and seeing how concerned he was for his mother, she decided to ask Archie to talk to Emma. He is their last hope of getting Emma to willingly open up.

The Saviour is in the Sherriff Station when Archie finds her. She is half asleep, slumped in her chair as she very slowly types up files onto the computer. She doesn't notice him standing there and watching her, umbrella hanging from his arm; a gesture that is so characteristically _Archie_.

"Emma?"

She starts violently in her chair, heart attempting to leap out of her mouth due to the fright.

"Archie, what are you doing here?" Emma asks, her voice and body shaking.

Archie gestures to the seat on the other side of her desk.

"May I?" he asks and sits when Emma nods. "How are you feeling; honestly?"

Emma leans back in her chair, exhaustion increasing the pain of her currently building headache. She runs her hand over her forehead.

"I'm fine." she says, bored of the question now and not wanting to open up.

 _'Why can't anyone understand that?!'_ she thinks.

"You don't have to hide behind those walls now, Emma." Archie says, leaning forwards. "You came to me a week ago with a desperate need to talk; so, let's talk now."

Emma sighs, already feeling tears coming to her eyes.

"My mother asked you to talk to me. I know that." Emma states. "You are only here for her."

"No," Archie says firmly. "I am here for _you_. I can see that you are exhausted and you are still shaking from when I entered and made myself known. Are you sleeping at all?"

Emma looks down at the surface of the desk. "A couple of hours each night, maybe."

"Those hours haven't been peaceful." Archie comments.

Emma's gaze shoots up to his. "How could you know that?"

Archie glances down at his hands before looking back up.

"I passed Henry on my way here as he was headed to Granny's and I know that he has been staying with you recently. He is really worried about you, Emma; your whole family is. You should open up."

"How?" Emma asks exasperated, her voice raising. "Everyone has come up with the same solution – ask Emma how she feels then try to distract her and talk about how she doesn't need that ' _good for nothing pirate'_. There is a _reason_ that I have not opened up and chosen to distract myself instead."

"You are running yourself into exhaustion, Emma, and that is not healthy for you." Archie says, his voice softer. "If you sleep, you will have a fresher mind. Talking about Killian will help too. You shouldn't bottle everything up - love him and miss him."

Emma nods. "Yeah. But, he clearly doesn't feel the same. I haven't heard anything from him."

"That does not mean that he hasn't tried." Archie points out. "Like I told you before Emma, Killian is not everyone else and is so clearly besotted with you. I can't help but wonder if it is more than him giving you some space after the length of time that has passed."

Emma takes a deep breath, unable to stop the tears now spilling down her cheeks.

"If he loves me so much, why did he leave me when he promised that he wouldn't?" she questions, her voice broken and vulnerable. "I wish that I didn't feel like I need him but after letting my bloody walls down, the thought of not having him by my side is horrible and painful. I cannot cope with the fact that another person has abandoned me."

It startles Archie for a moment; seeing her with her walls suddenly demolished.

"Perhaps it wasn't of his own free will – this is Storybrooke after all." Archie says. "But, I want you to go home and get some sleep. Then, try and contact Killian. Get your feelings out there because bringing those walls back up is affecting you even more."

Archie stays with Emma for a while longer, allowing her to open up more as he listens. When he leaves, she practically collapses onto the surface of her desk, so emotionally – and physically - exhausted.

She is almost asleep when David walks in the room. He moves into her office and crouches beside her, shaking her shoulder gently. Sluggishly, she rises from the desk, seeing her father there beside her.

"Come on, sweetheart." David says, hand moving to her leg. "I am taking you home."

Emma shakes her head, running her knuckles over her eyes.

"No, I have a job to do." she says, leaning back in her chair once more. "These files need to be put onto the system."

"Emma, honey, you are completely exhausted. You need to go home and get some sleep. I know that Archie has said the same thing to you as well."

"Dad, I-"

"Listen to me, Emma." David interrupts. "I cannot bear the sight of my little girl in such pain and exhaustion. I know that you are struggling what with Hook being gone and your parents fighting this sleeping curse. Each time I wake up, I just want to hold you and make it all go away. But, it hurts that I can't and I am seeing you in more and more pain despite you trying to hide it. Let me take you home."

Emma relents after a minute, nodding.

"Okay." she whispers.

David stands up and takes a step back so Emma can do the same. She does but sways violently on her feet. Her father swiftly reaches out and grabs her arms, lowering her back onto the seat.

"Easy, honey." he says.

Emma takes a few deep breaths, trying to banish the black spots in her vision.

"Come on, let's get you home."

He helps Emma stand and move out of her office, shouldering her red leather jacket. She is quiet the entire journey back to the house, head resting against the window as Storybrooke passes them by.

When they pull up outside, Emma climbs out on the pavement. David quickly joins her.

"Promise me that you will get some rest if I leave you alone." David says.

Emma nods and lets David pull her in for a hug. His hand cups the back of her head and he squeezes his eyes shut. Emma simply stands there, unmoving, as she soaks in her father's presence.

"Just call if you need anything, sweetheart." he says, releasing her with a kiss to her forehead. "I mean _anything_."

"Thanks, Dad." Emma mumbles, mustering the slightest of smiles before turning and walking up the path to her front door.

She unlocks the door and before stepping through she turns to see David still watching her beside his truck, the concern evident over the distance. Once the door is shut, Emma rests the back of her head against it.

 _'_ _Come on, Swan._ ' she chides herself, forcing herself to move.

Emma walks up to her – their – bedroom, shredding the leather jacket from her shoulders and throwing it onto the bed. She considers moving back downstairs to the couch which she seems to have taken residence on but sees Killian's sea chest at the foot of the bed.

The thought of moving it elsewhere, having it out of sight, was too much.

Pulling the sea chest out, Emma sits on the floor at the foot of the bed. Her back rests against the bed frame and she crosses her legs, after pulling her boots off, eyes fixed to the varnished wood of the chest.

After a few minutes, Emma gives in to temptation and opens the lid. Tears sting her eyes at the sight of her True Love's things – all of the possessions he treasures.

Liam's ring sits on top of his folded leather jacket and she picks it up with her trembling fingers. Needing comfort, a similar comfort she sought out when Killian was in the Underworld, she slips the long chain over her head and allows her head to fall back against the bed. She closes her eyes, slightly crying.

 _'_ _Please, come back to me Killian. Please'_

Her heart aches and her fingers grip the ring even tighter, the tips turning white. There was a reason she tried to distract herself and this was why: she wouldn't have to feel the pain of his loss.

"Swan?"

 **End note: Please review! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello! Here is the final chapter for this story!**

 **Thank you to every one of you who has read, followed, reviewed and pressed the favourite button! I love you all!**

 **ONLY ONE MORE WEEK UNTIL THE MUSICAL EPISODE - I AM SOOOO EXCITED! Those snippets of the songs are already stuck in my head and that promo made me cry - ma babies are all grown up! *cue squealing, gross sobbing and my heart melting into a puddle***

 **Keep Smiling!**

No.

No...

Emma's eyes squeeze tighter, her head shaking slightly. Her grip on the ring increases impossibly more, the metal digging into her fingers.

' _But, what if it is him?'_

Emma opens her eyes to see him before her, standing beside the bedroom door. He has dirt and sand covering practically every inch of him but his eyes swim with such strong emotion. The relief on his face is clear, tinged with exhaustion of his own, as is his love.

"Killian?"

Emma quickly leaps up and runs to him, jumping into his arms. Her head buries itself into his neck and her arms wind tight around his shoulders. Her legs wrap around his hips and Killian holds her as tightly as he possibly can, his head moving into her hair.

She smells like vanilla. She smells like home.

Emma cries into his skin, her tears and breath warm. Killian mumbles his profound apologies into her shoulder on repeat. His hook is digging into her lower back and Killian refuses to hurt her so he moves to sit at the foot of the bed, stepping around his open sea chest.

Just before he sits, Killian adjusts Emma's legs so she straddles his lap, knees tight on either side of his hips. He patiently waits until she is calm, his warm hand stroking her spine through her shirt.

When the tears have subsided, Emma raises her head from Killian's neck, meeting their gazes.

"I am so sor-"

Emma cuts him off with a kiss. But, it is in no way gentle. It is desperate and the pirate allows his princess to take the lead, taking all she needs from him and him giving it freely, drowning in the feel and taste of her.

When she pulls back, one hand is tightly gripping the lapel of Killian's new jacket and the other is buried in his hair. Their temples rest against each other, eyes squeezed shut. Both of them are breathless, their warm breath fanning over the side of the other's face. Both also have tears streaming down their cheeks that they allow to fall freely.

"I'm sorry, Killian." Emma says. Killian tries to protest but Emma kisses him again to keep him silent. "I was so wrong to react the way that I did and I am _so_ sorry for how I made you feel because of that. You are enough – more than enough – for me."

"Emma…" Killian trails off, not quite able to find the words.

"I love you with everything I am and if you will still have me, I am not allowing you to go anywhere again. I'm keeping you all to myself."

Killian holds her close, arms tight around her waist, resting his forehead against hers.

"I have been desperately jumping realm to realm to try and get back to you, Emma. I tried contacting you, to let you know that I was coming back – coming home - but Gideon must have been blocking me somehow. I intend to remain by your side; always. I love you so much, Emma; with my entire being."

Emma holds Killian tighter, sagging in relief against his body. It is as if all the energy has left her in a single moment and she feels completely exhausted.

"Are you alright, sweetheart?" Killian asks, hook nudging her hip.

Emma exhales heavily.

"I haven't been sleeping since you disappeared." she admits.

"How much sleep have you been getting?" Killian asks, concerned and not hiding it in his voice.

"A few hours at most. Nightmares have been keeping me up which also stopped me _wanting_ to go to sleep. I couldn't deal with the fact that you appeared to have abandoned me and perhaps if I didn't sleep, then I would wake up and it will have all been a bad dream."

Killian brings his hand up to Emma's cheek.

"I promise you that will never happen; I _will not_ abandon you." he mumbles. "My heart belongs to you, and you alone. That shall not change – especially after all we have been through together. It absolutely _killed_ me being away from you for so long."

Emma draws back to take in his appearance. She frowns at the sight of all the dirt covering his skin and her eyes widen in concern at the sight of the long cut at his hairline.

She raises her hand, pressing her fingers tenderly against the wound. Killian hisses at the contact. Summoning her magic, she heals the cut, smiling slightly in satisfaction at the newly healed skin.

"Thank you."

"What happened to you?" Emma questions, her right hand cupping Killian's cheek whilst her left remains in his hair – ignoring how the sand and dirt there have made it ridiculously thick with grease.

Killian's gaze drops.

"I didn't believe that I was the man you deserved and I thought that if I went with my brother and Nemo on the Nautilus, perhaps I could find him. But, your mother said something to me before I boarded and I knew that I couldn't go."

"What did she say?" Emma asks him, her voice incredibly quiet.

"She told me to ' _go home_ '." he replies, looking up. "I wanted to come back to you and went to tell Nemo that I wouldn't be going with him, that I believed that I deserved another chance from you.

"But then Gideon turned up and said that I couldn't be in Storybrooke. Next thing I know, I am in the Enchanted Forest. The past ten days has been jumping realm to realm to get back home – back to you."

"Where have you been?"

"Agrabah with Aladdin and Jasmine after bumping into them in the Enchanted Forest. I ended up in bloody Neverland after that. It took me a few days of running from and around those deranged boys to find magic that I needed to get off that infernal island. I was back in the Enchanted Forest trying to locate a magic bean, or portal, or _something_ , when this white light surrounded me."

Emma's brows knit in confusion.

"What was it?"

"All I knew was that it felt like home – like your love for me. Next thing I am aware of, I am standing in the doorway of our bedroom seeing you in such distress. I just needed to call out to you, comfort you."

Emma's fingers gently massage Killian's scalp.

"You would go through all of that, so much danger that could have _killed_ you, just to get to me?" Emma asks in awe.

It still surprises her how far her pirate is willing to go.

"Emma, I would do absolutely anything to get back to you and ensure your safety." Killian vows, his eyes so soft, so full of love. "I am completely and utterly in love with you, Emma. What kind of man would I be if I did not do everything I could to make sure that you are unharmed?"

Emma surges forwards, both hands cradling the sides of Killian's head. The kiss is passionate but not as fierce, her energy sapped completely. Killian's hand rubs Emma's left thigh in soothing strokes as she kisses him.

When she pulls away, Killian looks at her. He can see the exhaustion grasping at her, desperate to pull her under.

"You really need to sleep, sweetheart." he says, his voice quiet. "You look so exhausted."

Emma shakes her head, resting her forehead against his again before burying her face tightly in his neck. Her arms shift so they are loosely wrapped around his shoulders now.

"I don't want to sleep now that I have you back." Emma says. "I just need to know that you are here and this isn't a dream."

Killian adjusts his arms so they are wrapped around Emma's torso. He pulls her closer, resting his head against hers. He begins to sway gently, humming an old sea shanty under his breath; a trick he knows works from previous experience.

Slowly, Killian feels Emma relax against him and he knows that she has fallen asleep despite the horrors she has dealt with whilst he was gone, and her stubbornness. He stands up and walks to his side of the bed, gently lowering her down on the covers.

As quickly as he can, Killian strips down to his normal pair of pyjama bottoms since his clothes are so soiled - he has been in them for days. He climbs onto the side of the bed, chest bare, shifting his True Love so she is closer to the middle of the bed. He clambers in after her, laying down and gathering her body to his.

He lets out a breath, the relief of being back with Emma, and that she has forgiven him, practically uncomprehendable.

"I won't let you go again, love; I promise." Killian whispers into Emma's hair as her head rests on his chest. "I will make it all right again. I will face your father and earn his forgiveness like I should have done instead of running away like a coward.

"Then I will work up the courage to propose to you again but give you the proposal that you deserve. I will do nothing but cherish you – even more than I currently do. From this moment forwards, I am going to listen to my heart. I love you so much and I am the luckiest man alive to have you love me in return."

He presses a kiss to her head, content to hold her as she sleeps.

He is finally home, and refuses to leave again.

 **End note: Please review! :)**


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